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(NoModel.)

G. D. POTTER. BREAKDOWN PIREARM.

No. 539,540. Patented May 21, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE n. POTTER, OE WALLACE, IDAHO.

BREAKDOWN FIREARM. f

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 539,540; dated May 21,1895. Application led lJuly 20, 1894. Serial No. 518 ,141. (No model.)

The frame c is provided with serrations g,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. POTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wallace, in the county of Shoshone and State of Idaho, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Breech-LoadingShotguns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to the means for securing or uniting the barrelsand frames of that class of firearms known as tilting or break-downbreech-loading shot guns.-

Theinvention comprises two main features, namely, first, matching orcomplemental serrations in the flats of barrels and body of frame4 ofthe gun whereby in a standing breech gun the barrels are rmly heldagainst the standing breech and the shock of recoil is taken OE thehinge-pin, and, second, a top fastening in the nature of a rearwardlyand downwardly acting hook, whereby the barrels are prevented fromparting or tending to part from the frame in shooting, and thus insuringalso a practically gas-tight joint.

Having thus stated the principle of my invention, I will proceed now toset forth the best mode in which I have contemplated applying thatprinciple and then will particularly point out and distinctly claim thepart or improvement which I claim as my invention..

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the severalIigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is aperspective view of the frame. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the barrels at the flats Fig. 3 is a longitudinal verticalsection through the center of the frame and barrels in ring condition.Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the frame just above the body. Fig. 5is a detail elevation of the extension-rib bolt. versal-joint splitscrew for the top fastening, and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal verticalsection showing an arrangement of the serrations in the body-joint thereverse of that shown in Fig. 3.

The standing breech a, stock b, body of frame c, hinge-pin d, lever e,barrels f and the hinging lugf on said barrels may be as usual,excepting in the particulars hereinafter mentioned.

Fig. 6 is a detail of uni-A preferably five in number, extendingcrosswise of the frame, horizontal on the upper edges and curved at thebottom, forming segmental bearings or shoulders included in an arc attheir bottom and a chord at their upper edges, and whose faces are atright angles to a tangent projected from the center of the hinge-pin tothe edge or point of each serration, and having greatest depth midwayacross the body of the frame and runningout to nothing at the oppositeedges of the frame, thereby forming a joint between the barrels and thebody of the frame which appears externally on opposite sideslongitudinally as straight lines, (as is usual in this class of guns,)when the barrels are closed down upon the frame.

The under side of the breech end of the barrels is provided with acomplemental Series of projecting serrations h which mesh with theserrations of the frame to form the joint at the flats, which, in thetiring of the gun, will hold the barrels firmly against the standingbreech and take off the shock of recoil from the hinge-pin and therebygreatly enhance the strength and durability of the orun. Y Y

o Instead of having depressed serrations in the frame and projectingserrations in the body or breech end of the barrels, these may bereversed, and the frame have projecting serrations andthe barrels havedepressed or sunken serrations, as indicated in Fig. 7.

The top fastening is constructed as follows: The extension rib i,projecting rearwardly from between the barrels, is provided with thecurvilinear notch j, and said extension rib is adapted to enter thesocket la in the standing breech a, when the gun is closed. Anextension-rib bolt-arml is pivoted at Z at its inner endwithin thecenter of the frame, back of the standing breech, and is provided withacurviliuear, laterally-projecting bolt ZZ. which is adapted to enterthe curvilinear notch j in the extension ribz' when the barrels areclosed down upon the frame, the bolt at such time exerting a downwardand rearward restraint upon the barrels and serving to effect agas-tight joint at the breech. The arm Z is provided with a fiat springZ3, Whose operation and function will presently appear. As indicated inFig. 4, the laterally extended ICO bolt Z2 works in a correspondinglywider channel than its arm Z. The top lever e is attached at its forwardend to a vertical post m having a bearing in the frame, and to this postis secured a crank arm n to move with the leven/ This crank-arm, inturn, is connected with the extension-rib bolt-arm l by means of a linko, having spherical knobs a its ends which are received in sockets atthe ends of split screws or bolts p .secured respectively to the arm Zand crank-arm h, so as to make a sortof universal joint between the saidbolt-arm and cran -arm. A flat torsion spring q is attached rigidly atits upper end to the inner end of the post m, and its lower end issecured in a slit or nick r in the bottom strap s.

Any other suitable form of spring may be substituted for the torsionspring q.

The llat spring Z3 is arranged in a recess in the front of the armZ andis secured at its upper end to such arm as by a screw, so as to leaveits lower end freeyand it is of such length that its lowerfree endmayspring out over the bottom of the socket .k when the bolt isretracted and the extension-rib withdrawn from said socket as shown inFig. 5, so -as to retain the arm Z in the unlocked or retractedposition.,

The operation is as follows: With the gun held in position for opening,the top lever is pressed to the right, to overcome the dead centersformed by the `alignment of the iconnections between the post m and theextension-rib bolt arm Z and to move said parts so as to withdraw theextension-rib bolt from the extension-rib, whereby the barrels arereleased. As soon as the barrels have been tilted enough to raise theextension-rib out of its socket, the arm Zbeing retracted, its spring Z3ies out of the recess andfits free end rests upon the bottom of thesocket, as in Fig. 5, and so positively retains the extension-rib boltout of the path of movement of such extension rib, and also locks thewhole top-fastoning until the barrels are closed down again. In the actof so closing the barrels, the'extension-rib enters its socket and itsleading end coming into contact with the spring Z8 forces it rearwardlyo the bottom of the socket into its recess in the arm Z, therebyreleasing the said arm and its connected members of the top fastening,and so permits the torsion spring to exert its force to throw theextension-rib bolt into engagement with the extension-rib, theconnections between the arm Z and crank arm again coming into the deadcenter of their movement and so rmly locking the top fastening. Thus itwill be seen, that the torsion spring q has its power stored in the actof opening the gun and is ready to .act automatically upon the closingof the gun.

Some of the advantages of my invention, aside from its apparentsimplicity and durability, are: By the use of theshallow serratedbearings there is obtained in the aggregate a large bearing surface tohold the barrels against the standing breech, without cutting away theframe for lugs, at the point of greatest strain, namely, directly underthe standing breech. The faces of these serrations at the angles adoptedcome together without rubbing'upon each other and thus wear is avoided.Inasmuch as the barrels are held by the topfastening from ying up at thebreech, these serrated bearings take off the strain of recoil from thehinge-pin and save the latter from the shock of recoil with itsincidents of pounding and injury. By virtue of the fact that theseserrations extend entirely across the joint of the barrels and frame,they counteract any tendency of the barrels to swing to one side or theother as the right or left barrel is tired. The active element of thetop-fastening stands at an angle of about forty-five degrees to thepoint of maximum breaking strain on the frame, as indicated by 'thevdotted lines azz-, Fig. 3, and in the best position to resist theparting of the barrels from the standing breech. The link motion in thetop fastening holding the parts locked on a dead center, precludes theunfastening of the .breech by recoil, escaping gases or Iother andadventitions surroundings.

1. In a break-down gun, the combination with the frame and the breechend of the bar- TeLof a series of intermeshing or interlocking curvedserrations having their abutting upright surfaces arranged substantiallyat right angles to a line tangential to the center of the hinge-pindeepest at the middle and running out to nothing at opposite sides,substantially as described.

2. In a break-down gu'n, the body of the fra/me provided with a seriesof forwardly inclined curved serrations extending transversely of theframe and occupying the body from the standing breech forwardly to ornear the hinge-pin and deepest at the middle and running out to nothingat opposite sides, and the breech-end of the barrels having acomplemental series of reverselyI inclined serrations, substantially asdescribed. Y

3. In a break-down gun, the body of the frame provided with a series offorwardly inclined curved serrations extending transversely of the frameand occupying the body from the standing breech forwardly to or near thehinge-pin and deepest at the middle and running out to nothing at thesides, and the breech end of the barrels having a complemental series ofreversely inclined serrations, combined with a top-fastening engagingthe extension -rib of the barrels and exerting thereupon a rearward anddownward restraint, substantially as described.

4. In a breakdown gun, the frame, the standing breech having anextension rib socket, a hinged extension-rib-locking bolt pivoted insaid frame, a spring-actuated rotary post and a jointed connectionbetween the post and bolt having a dead center action, combined with thebarrels and an extension- IOC/ ril) on such barrels adapted to 'entersaid socket and be engaged by the said bolt, substantially as described.

5. In a break-down gun, the barrels having an extension rib providedwith a curvilinear transverse notch, combined with a standing breechconstructed with a socket to receive such extension-rib, aneXtension-rib-1ocking device comprising an arm pivoted behind thestanding breech and having a curved bolt at its free end to engage thenotched extensionrib, a spring fitted to said arm and Within a recess insame and having a free end to engage the bottom of the extension-ribsocket when the breech is opened thereby to hold theeXtension-rib-locking device stationary and in unlocked position tillreleased by action of the extension-rib on the spring in closing thebreech, and a bolt-actuator, substantially as described. v

6. In a break-down gun, the body of the frame and the rear end of thebarrels itted together in any suitable manner, combined with atop-fastening comprising acurvilinear notched extension-rib on thebarrels, a pivoted extension-rib bolt, a rotary post, a torsion springapplied to such post, and an articulated link connection between saidpost and bolt operating upon a dead center, substantially as described.v

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of July,A. D. 1894.

GEORGE D. POTTER. Vitnesses:

A. G. KERNs, WM. W. WooDs.

